Few things are as calming as strolling through a botanical garden, and we’re incredibly fortunate here in Southern California to have such a wealth of choices.

But what if the entrance fee is keeping you from visiting? Well, here’s some good news. There are some gardens you can visit for free anytime and other ones that regularly charge but periodically set aside free days, such as once a month. Note: Some have parking fees, and they might close during or after bad weather.

But if you’d like to spend more time in soothing nature — and who doesn’t? — you can plan ahead to make it happen on a budget.

California Botanic Garden: This 86-acre site offers free admission March 29 for a native plant festival. Get free tickets online. The garden is the largest dedicated exclusively to the state’s native plants, and it works to conserve rare species. Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Reservations are recommended. 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. 909-625-8767, calbg.org

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden: Thirty-three acres are devoted to plants including Australian and desert varieties, butterfly favorites, herbs and salvias. Plus a bird habitat, natural terrain and, of course, plenty of trees. A rare fruit orchard has specimens from 19 countries. Check out the hiking trails and the views from the top. The main garden is open sunrise to sunset daily. The Kids Adventure Garden is open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. 400 W. Gainsborough Road, Thousand Oaks. conejovalleybotanicgarden.com.

Descanso Gardens: One of the state’s best-known gardens, its 165 acres include a Japanese area, 5 acres of roses, specialized forests, camellia and lilac collections and more. It’s free on the third Tuesday of the month with a reservation. Free Tuesday tickets are released at 10 a.m. on the first day of the month and are limited. Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in winter. Free tickets do not include special programming. , 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. 818-949-4200, descansogardens.org

Fullerton Arboretum and Botanical Garden: This is a lovely place to take a spring stroll through 26 acres of desert, Mediterranean, woodland and cultivated plants. It includes rare, threatened and endangered species. Look for turtles in the pond. There’s a box where you can pay a $5 suggested donation. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Closed on Cal State Fullerton holidays. 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton. arboretum.fullerton.edu

Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens: Everyone should have the chance to visit this gorgeous, 207-acre estate, which includes 130 acres of gardens, at least once. Expect 16 themed areas full of rare plants, rare and precious book displays and an art museum to boot. Note, however, that you have to be diligent to score tickets to the free day — the first Thursday of the month — because they go fast. Be online and ready at 9 a.m. on the last Thursday of the month, when they’re released. Don’t wait until 9:01 a.m. (seriously). The limit is five per household. It’s worth the effort. Enjoy all it has to offer but don’t expect to be able to see it all in one day. Expect a lot of walking, although there are wheelchairs on loan. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through

Mondays. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. 626-405-2100, huntington.org/free-day.

Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden: If you’ve never been to this beauty spot, you should make the trip. It’s free only on the third Tuesday of each month, and you must get advance tickets. This means you need to be online at 9 a.m. on the first day of the month, when they become available. And come on, you can probably use a day at this 127-acre garden in April after you file your taxes, right? You’ll be asked to select an entry time from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can order up to five tickets per reservation. Be aware that Arcadia can be hot during the summer. 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. arboretum.org/free-day-tickets

Niguel Botanical Preserve: This 18-acre garden showcases drought-tolerant plants that grow well along the coast. The collection includes natives as well as plants from similar climates in Chile, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean. These plants attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and more. There’s also a rose garden, an English garden temple and a labyrinth. The preserve is open from sunrise to sunset daily. 29751 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel. niguelbotanicalpreserve.org

South Coast Botanic Garden: This 87-acre beauty is free on the third Tuesday of each month. You can make reservations online. More than 2,500 plants include species from Australia, the Mediterranean and Africa. Also, you can check out the rose, fern and Japanese collections; desert plants; and fuchsias. Some 200 bird species also visit annually. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula. 424-452-0920, southcoastbotanicgarden.org

Southern California Montane Botanic Garden: This garden comprises 220 acres and has oak and conifer forests, chaparral, ponds, streams, grasslands and more. Some of the venues added since the property was acquired by the Wildlands Conservancy include Hummingbird Hill, Falling Waters, and The Artist’s Palette. Further expansion is also planned. There’s a children’s center that teaches about nature. Open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in March; 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. from April through October. 39611 Oak Glen Road, Oak Glen. 909-790-3698, wildlandsconservancy.org/preserves/oakglen

Sunnylands Center and Gardens: The 15-acre grounds at the former estate of the late Walter and Leonore Annenberg includes 9 acres of desert gardens. Admission is always free, but access to the home is by reserved, paid tour only. Open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. 37977 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage. 760-202-2222, sunnylands.org

UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden: This free garden encompasses 7.5 acres and has California natives, desert, ferns, palms, bromeliads, an herbarium and more. You can bring your leashed pooch, too. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends. 707 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles. Campus parking in Structure 2 costs $15, or look for street parking. botgard.ucla.edu

UCR Botanic Gardens: This hilly space comprises 40 acres of a living plant museum with 3,500 species and thousands of specimens from around the world, particularly from dry and arid regions. Includes butterfly, herb, rose, iris, lilac, Native American and redwood collections, plus a turtle pond and a fruit orchard. Check the website for parking rules. 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, also 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. the first and third Sundays. 1 Botanic Gardens Drive, Riverside. 951-827-7090, gardens.ucr.edu